The invention is directed to child resistant, senior friendly packaging designed to securely hold multiple unit dose products and formed out of natural fiber or synthetic materials, or any combination thereof.
The field of packaging is challenged to provide the end user with packaging designed, or constructed, to hold multiple unit doses in a package that is child resistant and yet senior friendly. The criteria of child resistance requires a package be designed in a manner so that it is extremely difficult for a child (under the age of five) to gain access to any of the unit doses. The criteria of senior friendliness requires a package that is designed to have the unit doses easily accessed by a mature adult who may be arthritic or weak. Clearly, these two criteria are difficult to balance, i.e., making a package difficult for a child to open, but easy for a senior to open.
Known packages, in their most basic form, may simply rely on features such as pull tabs to cover the cell cavities holding the unit dose product. tabs to cover the cell cavities holding the unit dose product. Examples of such packages are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,129,817; 3,610,410; 3,809,220; 3,809,221; 3,811,564; 3,835,995; 3,872,970; 3,899,080; 3,905,479; 3,912,081; 3,912,082; 3,921,805; 3,924,746; 3,924,747; 3,941,248; 4,011,949; 4,120,400; 4,125,190; 4,192,422; 4,231,477; 4,485,915; 4,506,789; 5,046,618; 5,172,812; 5,310,060; 5,529,188; 6,047,829; 6,375,956; and 6,523,691 as well as U.S. patent publication nos. 2001/0017273; 2002/0185404; and 2003/0064381.
These references and any other reference cited herein are incorporated by reference.
Tabs designed in such a manner, which are difficult for children to remove, are normally not senior friendly; conversely, tabs that can be easily removed by mature adults are normally not child resistant. Integrated tabs of this type can be defined as “first level” resistance in paperboard packaging.
In certain instances, it maybe desirable if the package requires the individual to perform a sequence of steps, perhaps simultaneously. An illustration of this is for an individual to first read a set of specific instructions and then perform a sequence of steps simultaneously. For example, the product can be opened by holding package in the left hand, while pressing down on a lock release, and pulling out a slide card with the right hand. Typically, children under the age of five have great difficulty reading and comprehending instructions, while simultaneously attempting to perform a series of sequential steps, thereby rendering the package child resistant. Examples of this are disclosed in U.S. patent publication nos. 2004/0099565 and 2004/0045858, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,272.
However, a complete packaging system designed with the aforementioned features can be further defined as both child resistant and senior friendly. For example, Mature adults are able to read and comprehend instructions and can perform a series of sequential steps simultaneously.
Such a multi step packaging system is advantageous in that it prevents young children from accessing unit dose products, while allowing mature adults access to the individual unit doses contained therein. Additionally, this type of package can be opened and closed repeatedly, which is particularly advantageous when there are unused unit doses remaining inside the package. A package, as described, can continue to provide reassurance that the complete package maintains its child resistant and senior friendly characteristics throughout the dispensing life of the package.
Known packaging systems containing both child resistant and senior friendly features are disadvantageous, in that certain mature adults may find it difficult to gain access to the unit dose product. For example, an adult with arthritis in the joints of the hands may have difficulty in performing a series of sequential steps, such as grasping and holding the package, pressing down on a lock release, and pulling out a slide card containing unit dose product. Such packaging systems, which encumber access to the unit dose product by a mature adult, may have the very features, which are child resistant, circumvented in such a manner that the complete package no longer provides child resistance.
Therefore, it is preferable to provide an option whereby the child resistant features can be disengaged, long term. For example, some styles of child resistant bottle caps are manufactured with one end containing internal screw threads and a locking mechanism, while the opposite end contains external screw threads only. Such a system is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,161.